Page 132 of Slay Ride

“No, Miss Tierney. You just sounded like someone I’d like to be friends with.” I take a seat across from her and hold out my hand.

She reaches across the table and slides her soft palm against mine. “We can all use more friends, can’t we?” With a smile, she shakes my hand. “Please, call me Connie.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Connie.”

“Are you and this young man . . .?” She motions between me and Bennett and raises her eyebrows.

“Oh, yes. We’re . . .” I look back at Bennett, and he nods. “We’re together.”

The frail woman shakes her head. “No wonder my boy can’t find a good girl. They’re all taken.”

“I’m sure he’ll find someone. When he’s ready,” I say.

“Sir, would you be kind and fetch an orderly? I’d like to share a cup of tea with my new friend here.” Connie reaches toward her cup, but her fingers fumble with the tiny vessel, and it falls into her lap.

Bennett steps toward her as she fumbles with the spilled drink in her lap. He places a napkin into her hand, and she wipes her pants. Her cheeks blaze pink, and she’s clearly embarrassed.

“I’m such a butterfingers.” She forces a smile. “I’m afraid I’ll have to go up to the house to change, but I’ll return shortly.”

As she rises from the iron table, her chair totters behind her and falls over. Bennett rushes to her side to help her, righting her when she nearly falls. Her face changes. Fear and uncertainty cloud her features, and her eyes aren’t as clear as they were moments ago.

“Miss Tierney—Connie, can I help you up to your room?” I say.

She shakes her head, sending her gray hair into a flurry around her head, but she doesn’t speak.

I step beside Bennett and take her arm, easing him out of the way. “That’s okay. If you don’t want me to go with you, I don’t have to. Would you like to sit down? I can bring you more tea.”

Connie’s fingers grip and release the hem of her shirt, but she finally settles and sits in her chair.

Bennett grips my arm and tries to guide me away, but my feet remain planted. My hands may be shaking, and this may be a little uncomfortable, but when you love someone, you do the scary thing. You do the uncomfortable thing. And I love Bennett.

“Sometimes a strong emotion is hard for her,” he whispers in my ear. “It can cause her to sort of . . . You saw it.”

I place my hand over his. “It’s okay, Bennett.”

His shoulders finally relax.

An orderly steps outside, and we explain that Connie needs to go to her room for a fresh change of clothes. He helps her to stand, then escorts her away. As she leaves, I hope it’s not the last time I see her. In fact, she’s just given me the last piece of the puzzle that I’ve been missing.

“I’m really sorry about this. I don’t know what I expected.” Bennett runs his hands through his hair. “I just wanted you to meet her, that’s all.”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” I round on him and fold my arms over my chest. “That’s the woman who raised you, and I feel honored that you introduced us. Sure, I don’t know much about her disease or how best to interact with her, but I want to learn.”

Bennett blinks down at me. “Huh?”

“Just now, speaking with your mother...it reminded me of what it felt like to care for my brother. And it feels good, Bennett. It feels . . . right.”

“What are you saying?”

I smile. I can’t help it. I’ve never seen things so plainly before, never been filled with so much hope for my future. “Acting hasn’t worked out because it’s not what I’m meant to do. It’s what I’ve wanted to do, but even if I’d succeeded, it wouldn’t have left me fulfilled.”

“So you’re just going to give up on your dream? Just like that? What will you do?”

I shrug and shake my head. Uncertainty has never felt so good. “I have no idea. Go back to school, for a start. I can figure out where I go from there, but I think I’d like a career in nursing.”

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

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